Thursday, 17 October 2013

Star of Saigon

Our family was out at lunch again, trying out a new Vietnamese restaurant which has very recently opened a few suburbs away from us.

I love how it has a really nice outdoor seating option!

The decor was interesting as it was a mix of modern as well as antique, with dark wooden tables and chairs as well as some really nice leather booths, which was where we sat. Above the booths, the chandeliers and floral wallpaper gave it a slight vintage feel.

Jackfruit smoothie $5

Custard Apple smoothie $5

Che Ba Mau (in the background)

We were pretty surprised to see these drinks for $5 on the menu since most restaurants have them priced between $3.50-$4.50. This was explained when we discovered that they were served in HUGE milkshake glasses!

Pho Bo $11

The pho only comes in one size which I think was a decent sized serving. Mum really enjoyed it and rated it a 9/10, which means it must be quite good! She said that it was nowhere near as sweet as Pho Ba Ria 2, where we usually go, but had a nicer richness due to the meat stock.

Bun Bo Hue

Dad enjoyed this, though he isn't a very fussy eater! I noticed that all the soup dishes had only one size, but the servings are a pretty decent.

Bun Nem Nuong

This was my sister's lunch and she also really enjoyed it. The pork meatballs tasted really great because there wasn't that artificiality to it, unlike those that you might eat from food stands at events. Also, a very generous serving that my sister struggled to finish!

Grilled Pork Skewer wraps $16

I felt like trying something different to what I would usually order so I went with DIY wraps. This was also a huge serving! We all agreed that the pork skewer meat was delicious. It had a delicious, slightly charred flavour and texture, perfect for the wraps. There was a huge selection of fresh herbs and crunchy lettuce as well as some pickled vegetables. SO good!

We had a great lunch, and we wouldn't hesitate to come back here! The restaurant has a great modern feel yet serves delicious, authentic Vietnamese food. A bit pricier than other restaurants within the area, but I think it's definitely worth it. My only complaint would be that the food took far too long to arrive at our table. The restaurant wasn't too busy that day yet we still had to wait for quite a while. However, when it arrived, it was well-presented and tasted great!